If you ever thought the long-standing rivalry between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya would cease to exist, you would be farther from reality. However, the persistent rivalry has not stopped the two of them from coming out in praise of each other. Of course, occasionally. Recently, De La Hoya drew on his iconic fight with Mayweather to chalk out the way through which a fighter like David Benavidez could be defeated.

In a historic clash, ‘Golden Boy’ entered the ring to face off against Mayweather, who was reaping his prime at that point. The May 2007 fight aligned with popular predictions. It saw Mayweather inch toward victory through a split decision. Since then, a lethal war of words and ego has ensued between the two. But today, in one of those glimmering moments, the boxer-turned-promoter cited Pretty Boy’s skills as a case study to defeat another rising star of today’s era.

Learnings from Oscar De La Hoya: How to Defeat Benavidez

Come 25th November, ‘The Mexican Monster The Boogeyman’ Benavidez will enter the ring against Demetrius Andrade. The last fight under the Showtime banner will see the two fighters battle it off at Michelob Ultra Arena to see who among them could face the big fish of the super middleweight class, Canelo Alvarez. While early predictions have placed Benavidez as the favorite, Golden Boy deduced as to how they could be overturned.

In a conversation with Fight Hub TV, the ace promoter said it was all about “angles” when it came to defeating a pressure fighter like Boogeyman. He explained, “It’s all angles, look at Zurdo Ramirez and Joe Smith. It’s all angles. Zurdo Ramirez was throwing punches, moving side to side, umm, look at what Mayweather does to uh, including myself. You try to be aggressive and try to knock his head off but if he figures out those angles you get frustrated.”

Further, invoking the prowess of Floyd Mayweather, De La Hoya outlined, “That’s exactly what Mayweather does. So, it’s all about staying, and that’s the one thing that Mayweather has is what he stayed disciplined throughout his whole career so.” While the promoter has recognized the hard punches that Mayweather brought against him, he maintains that it was not the latter who hit him the hardest.

Who hit Golden Boy the hardest?

Not Mayweather, not Pacquiao, not Bernard Hopkins but it was ‘Bazooka’ who brought his hardest punch against Oscar De La Hoya. In a recent revelation, the promoter opened up about the fighter who punched him the hardest in the ring. While naming Ike Quartey for having done so, De La Hoya said, “His punches were like bricks.” He added, “He hit me and it would sting me. Every punch he would hit me with, it would rattle me.”

The promoter elaborated that while Quartey’s punches were the most powerful he’d ever encountered, they were also consistent. The culmination of the two managed to faze him out. In early 1999, Golden Boy went against Bazooka at the Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas. He was under extreme pressure from his opponent. Yet, De La Hoya managed to defend his WBC Welterweight title effectively through a split decision. At this point, the fighter was coming off a well-documented streak of massive victories.

Also Read: “Join Me In …”: Set On Mission To Save Boxing, Oscar De La Hoya Sends Heartfelt Request To Eddie Hearn, Bob Arum And Al Haymon

With his modern-day career as an elite promoter in the boxing realm, the world seems to have forgotten how good of a fighter Oscar De La Hoya was. In his days, when his weight division was at its peak, he along with his contemporaries like Mayweather and Pacquiao led the front. And today, when fighters of this era, like Benavidez himself, seek to recreate the glories of the bygone days, De La Hoya’s expertise and experience can lend some suggestions to do so.

Do you agree with Golden Boy’s thoughts on Mayweather? Let us know in the comments section below.

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